Join the Conversation

Zimmer: Day game eases agony of defeat

SFA
12:09 a.m. CDT August 14, 2014

Marjean Beck and her husband, Bob, both of Findlay, Ohio, take in a game between the Canaries and the New Jersey Jackals from the shade of an umbrella on Wednesday at Sioux Falls Stadium. The struggling Canaries, who lost 8-5, played a rare weekday afternoon game.(Photo: Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader)

This is the time of year the baseball season can really start to drag for a team that’s not in a pennant race.

That’s where things are for the Canaries, who are limping to the finish line in a last-place season with a record of 28-55. They’ve been out of the playoff picture for a long time, and at this point they’re merely playing out the string.

So Wednesday’s matinee at the Birdcage was actually pretty well-timed.

OK, so maybe only half of the announced crowd of 2,714 actually showed up, and yes, the Canaries lost 8-5 to New Jersey, blowing yet another early lead (this time a mere 4-0 advantage after one inning).

But the couple times a year that the Birds play a weekday afternoon game serve as a reminder of the benefits of having a baseball team in town. A simple afternoon at the ballpark, regardless of the score or the stakes, can be every bit as memorable as a playoff game in September.

The Canaries playfully themed Wednesday as Skip Day, and of the 1,500 or so people who were there, whether they were skipping work or not, the Birds’ place in the standings was about the last thing in the world they cared about.

“I always circle these games on the calendar,” said Chet Kooiman, seated a couple rows behind home plate, just after a Chris Duffy three-run homer had given the Birds their early lead. “I’m glad (the Canaries) schedule them. It’s just nice to take an afternoon off and come out and watch some baseball in the daytime.”

Often when the Canaries host weekday afternoon games, they fill the stands by selling tickets in bulk to local summer day-care centers, which can be a sight to behold. The kids are loud. They’re not always watching the game, but they make their presence felt.

Earlier this year, I sat amazed as approximately 3,000 grade-schoolers sang the words to “Let It Go” from the movie “Frozen,” completely in unison mid-inning. The SpongeBob SquarePants theme also tends to get them going.

It might be a tad grating on fans who are there to watch the game, but the teams love it.

“The day games are always fun,” said Canaries manager Steve Shirley. “It actually creates a little bit of buzz and electricity when those kids are there making noise. I think the guys really enjoy that.”

The sea of youngsters wasn’t there today, but there were youth baseball teams, families taking the day off and revelers on the party deck.

“The thing I like about the weekday games is that, to me, it feels a little more like the big leagues,” said Phil Hanson, a fan seated down the right-field line. “To take the day off work and go to the ballpark on a Wednesday afternoon, you normally don’t get to do that for a minor-league game. I wish it wasn’t quite so hot, but it sure beats a day at the office.”

There are benefits for the players and staff, too. Baseball is known for its everyday nature, but that’s taken to an even greater extreme in the minors, where teams have fewer off-days than the big-leaguers do. There’s not much players can do all day when they have a game that night, but getting up early is a worthwhile tradeoff to have a chance to be done by mid-afternoon with the rest of the day free.

“It does feel like getting an off-day,” said Birds second baseman Sam Lind, the rookie from Hartford. “We’re a little tired because last night’s game went 12 innings – by the time you get showered, changed and to bed it’s 2 or 3 in the morning – but it’s a relief when the game is over and you have the whole afternoon to relax and get away from baseball.”

I had asked Shirley about the early start following the late night on Tuesday. He said it wasn’t a big deal, and that the players would have a completely optional batting practice session in the morning.

“I’m sure a lot of guys will be there,” he told me.

I asked Lind, who used his free afternoon Wednesday to visit the Turner County Fair for a nephew’s birthday, if he showed up for early BP.

“No,” he said. “I don’t think anybody did.”

Hard to blame them. Hitting hasn’t been this team’s problem of late, anyway. They got a nice start from Joe Bircher against the Jackals on Wednesday, but a struggling bullpen couldn’t finish the job.

The Canaries have seven games left on their current nine-game homestand, and then the home schedule is over. They finish the year with an 11-game road trip. As if being hopelessly out of the playoff picture wasn’t punishment enough.

Still, the Birds continue to plug along, beating out routine grounders to force extra innings, like catcher Kevin Dultz did Tuesday, or doggedly working to pitch out of jams, like Augustana alum Kye Winter did Wednesday (before faltering). They know their manager is on the hot seat, and players past and present continue to bristle when that topic comes up.

This has been one of the most frustrating and forgettable seasons in team history, but Wednesday served as a reminder that a day at the ballpark on a hot summer day is something we’re lucky to have in Sioux Falls.

Matt Zimmer has covered the Canaries for Argus Leader Media since 2004. Reach him at

mzimmer@argusleader.com

NEW JERSEY 8,

CANARIES 5

The stat: Chris Duffy hit a three-run homer as Sioux Falls (28-55) took an early 4-0 lead against the visiting Jackals, who rallied to pull out the victory.

Standings: The Canaries have the worst record in the American Association and are 22½ games out of first place in the North.